1. Talent Wars

Here's a data point that represents both a reality check and a big-time opportunity for small businesses: More than half of employed workers in the U.S. are looking for new jobs. While this serves as a call to mind your own retention strategies, it also means the labor market is full of wandering eyes for you to try and capture.--Inc.com

2. Sobering Stat

The Senate failed to approve a three-month extension of unemployment benefits for the 1.3 million workers who lost them in December. Those workers are also consumers, and the money will come out of small businesses' pockets, too.--New York Times

3. Goodbye, Immigration Reform

Speaker of the House John Boehner suggested that immigration reform would not move forward until there was a new President in the White House. The news should dismay entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley as well as business owners in the agricultural sector, as many companies rely on immigrant labor. --Inc.com

4. Crowd Control

In response to a petition that had gathered 66,000 signatures earlier this week, sandwich chain Subway announced it would stop using an additive called azodicarbonamide in its bread. The move shows that a swift decision, even one that's short on details (there's no timetable on when Subway's decision will take effect), can go a long way when responding to customer complaints.--BloombergBusinessweek

5. Green Politics

How long will venture capitalist Vinod Khosla retain the title of Silicon Valley's Mr. Green? A California state senator is proposing that the state lands commission either buy or acquire via eminent domain the access road to Martins Beach, a piece of property owned by Khosla. The beach was formerly accessible to the public, but Khosla has kept the gate on the access road closed since acquiring the property in 2008.--San Jose Mercury News

6. Trade Secrets

Secret, the new app that allows people to anonymously share, well, secrets, is becoming a hit with the tech community, and that could pose serious problems if you're concerned about privacy. Some blabbermouth employees are already leaking info about forthcoming acquisitions and other intel their companies probably don't want to reveal.--TechCrunch